STALACTITES. 
361 
waters all the way from hence on the left hand. 
With this caution, however, we entered the last 
valley, and horrible work it was indeed to get 
through it. All was perfectly horrid and dismal 
here. The sides and roof of the passage were all 
of black stone ; and the rocks in our way in some 
places so steep that we were forced to lie all along 
on our backs, and slide down ; and so rough that 
they cut our clothes, and bruised us miserably in 
passing. Over our heads there were nothing but 
ragged black rocks, some of them looking as if they 
were every moment ready to fall in upon us; and, 
on our left hands, the light of our guides’ torches 
showed us continually the surfaces of dirty and 
miserable-looking lakes of water. If I had heartily 
repented of my expedition often before, here, I as- 
sure you, I was all in a cold sweat, and fairly gave 
myself over for lost, heartily cursing all the travel- 
lers that had written of this place, that they had 
described it so as to tempt people to see it, and 
never told us of the horrors that lay in the way. 
“ In the midst of all these reflections, and in the 
very dismallest part of alt the cavern, on a sudden 
we had lost four of our six guides. What was my 
terror on this sight! the place was a thousand times 
darker and more terrible for want of their torches ; 
and I expected no other but every moment to fol- 
low them into some ’of these lakes, into which I 
doubted not but they were fallen. The remaining 
two guides said all they could, indeed, to cheer us 
up ; and told us we should see the other four again 
